1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an arm support apparatus and, more particularly, to an auxiliary brace attachment for providing a user with increased support and comfort, and improved stability while handling a wheelbarrow, a shovel and other brace-operable equipment.
2. Prior Art
Whether you're building something, erecting a brick wall, or just doing general garden cleanup, you need something in which to carry the accumulated goods. For centuries, it's been the wheelbarrow, a one-wheeled, hand-guided cart. Wheelbarrows always look as though they have been around for ever. In fact, they have. Records suggest that the first wheeled vehicles, two- and four-wheeled carts pulled by oxen, were made in about 3,500 BC by the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia.
Wheeled technology spread rapidly through much of Europe and Central Asia, reaching China in the middle of the third millennium BC. In return, the Chinese gave us the wheelbarrow. Legend has it that the first wheelbarrow was the brainchild of a Chinese inventor, Ko Yu. However, most sources credit Chuko (Zhuge) Liang (181-234 AD) as the wheelbarrow's true inventor.
Regardless of who invented the device, the wheelbarrow is one of the best labor saving inventions ever developed. The basic concept has remained the same for centuries. It's a simple device that handles outdoor jobs such as moving bricks, dirt, cement, compost, trash, leaves, and other materials. Although wheelbarrows are simple devices, a visit to any hardware store or home and garden center shows that they are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Although there are many types of wheelbarrows, the handles on all models are configured similarly and are grasped and maneuvered in the same way. Sometimes persons find it difficult to bend down in order to lift a wheelbarrow when moving it between remote locations. Obviously, it would be advantageous to provide a means by which lifting and maneuvering a wheelbarrow is easier and less physically demanding.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,307 discloses a back saving handle extension for attachment to the straight, shaft-like type of handle typically found on a wheelbarrow which allows a person of taller than average stature to effectively use the wheelbarrow, or similar device, without having to bend over excessively to do so. It is contemplated for a pair of extensions to be employed for most effective use of a device having two handles, with one extension being connected to each handle. Each extension comprises an arcuate tubular member having a flexible hand grip attached to its distal end and connection means securely attaching its other end to the distal end of a straight wheelbarrow-type of handle. For use of a wheelbarrow by only people of taller than average stature, extension may be positioned in a vertical orientation with its hand grip substantially above its arcuate member. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not eliminate the uncomfortable stress that a wheelbarrow handle can have on a user's hands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,375 to Hoffarth discloses a wheelbarrow handle including a closed loop hand-grip. The hand-grip can be an integral portion of the handle, or retrofit to existing wheelbarrow handles by a mounting mechanism. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide an adequate amount of stability in the handle which would make the wheelbarrow safer and easier to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,104 to Cacciacarne discloses a wheelbarrow handle adapter which has an adapter handle with a proximal end and a distal end with an approximate right angle bends therebetween. The adapter handle at the proximal end is attachable to a wheelbarrow handle. In one configuration a sleeve is inserted onto the end of the wheelbarrow handle and a handle bolt is inserted through the adapter handle intermediate the distal end and the proximal end to threadably engage the sleeve. In an alternate configuration the adapter handle having a tubular opening at the distal end is curved sufficiently at the distal end to insert the tubular opening onto the end of the wheelbarrow handle. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide an adequate amount of stability in the handle use which would make the wheelbarrow safer and easier to use.
Accordingly, a need remains for an auxiliary wheelbarrow brace attachment in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an auxiliary brace attachment that is convenient and easy to use, is durable in design, and effectively eliminates the physical strain associated with lifting a wheelbarrow from a resting position. Such an apparatus advantageously increases safety and stability while also improving efficiency and productivity when moving existing weight and volume capacities using a wheelbarrow. The attachment effectively supports and stabilizes the wrist, joint and forearm of the operator, thus decreasing the mechanical disadvantage associated with lifting wheelbarrow braces, and optimizing the efficiency of energy exerted when moving a load.